Mid-North Florida APA Pool League ByLaws

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1 - Mid-North Florida APA Pool League ByLaws Revision 31 Claudia Cardinal League Operator These bylaws have been read and approved by the American Poolplayers Association, Inc. The local bylaws are a secondary source of information created in accordance with and in addition to the Official APA Team Manual. Office Hours: Monday through Friday 12pm to 8pm. Phones - Office (352) Cells - Claudia (352) Jenn (407) If no answer, leave your name, number and a brief message. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. Team Fees: Each team will be responsible for submitting a weekly fee of $40.00 regardless of the number of games played or any forfeits. The Mid-North Florida APA Pool League Office is not responsible for cash. In order to avoid accounting discrepancies and possible loss or theft during transmittal, Teams are encouraged to pay all fees by check or money order made out to APA. There will be a $25 charge for any returned checks. Players responsible for bad checks will not be eligible to participate in any Higher Level Tournaments (HLT s) until their debts (check amount + $25 returned check fee) are paid in full. Any returned checks that are not paid in full within 4 weeks of return will be turned over to the State Attorney for prosecution. Payments for returned checks must be made in cash or money orders. Membership Fees: Membership fees are to be paid the first night a player plays. Membership fees for any player who plays a match without paying their membership will be subtracted from the weekly fees for that team and a past due will be incurred and bonus points for the week lost. Any player who has not played a match within 4 weeks of being placed on a team s roster and has not paid a membership fee, will be dropped unless prior approval is granted by the League Office. You must be at least 18 years of age to be a member of the APA. Some Host Locations in the Mid-North Florida APA League area have age restrictions. Members between the ages of 18 and 20 are not allowed to play in these locations teams should build a roster that supports being able to play in Host Locations without having to rely on underage players. Late Fees: Any team falling more than 2 weeks behind in weekly dues will face possibly being removed from the League. Members of any teams that are dropped from the League as a result of unpaid dues will be responsible for paying their share of the unpaid fees as well as the lost funds incurred by the dropping of their team. These lost funds include those of the dropped team as well as their opponents. Teams past due in fees are not eligible to participate in any wild card drawings, Tri- Cups, Captain/Co-Captain, Doubles, or any HLT s until all debts are paid in full. Failing To Complete A Session: If a team prematurely drops from the League after the session has begun, each member of that team may be held accountable (in-part or in-full) for any lost revenue due to their disbandment. 1

2 Starting Skill Levels For New Players: The American Poolplayers Association, Inc. was founded on the principal of fairness to all players. Therefore, accuracy of skill levels is very important. Team Captains are responsible for raising the skill level of any player on their team if the player s skill level is too low for any reason. Simply have the player play at their accurate skill level and write a note on the scoresheet. The APA Official Team Manual indicates that in 8- or 9-Ball, new male players start at a skill level 4, women begin as 3 s in 8-Ball, and 2 s in 9-Ball. In most cases this is appropriate. However, a team adding a NEW player who is known to have ability higher than the standard starting point must, in the interest of fairness, start the NEW player at their appropriate skill level. If a player s skill level should go up 2 or more levels in one session, penalties may be assessed. Adding Players: New players may be added to a roster after the 4 th week with League Office approval prior to playing. No new players may be added 2 weeks prior to the end of the regular session play. Restrictions during Spring Sessions for qualified teams are listed in the Official Team Manual. Teams adding new players to their rosters must notify their opponents at the start of the team match. Teams must supply the League Office with the name, address, phone # and birthday for any new players they are adding. An exception to this Bylaw would be during the first night of a new session when teams are attempting to fill out their team rosters. Leniency and flexibility will be expected. Bonus Points: 1 bonus point (8-Ball) and 10 bonus points (9-Ball) will be awarded each week for teams that have their envelopes ready for pick-up and have the correct funds with completed and legible score sheets in them. Be careful that you do not lose your bonus point! Envelopes are to be dropped off at the designated locations prior to noon of the following day. Playing a player twice FIRST 4 WEEKS ONLY: In order to reduce forfeited matches during the first 4 weeks of play, teams will have the option to play one (1) player twice in a weekly match. The following guidelines and restrictions apply: Players who ARE NOT ELIGIBLE to play twice in a given match: New non-rated players. Any player whose skill level would cause a violation of the 23-Rule. The team choosing to play a player twice MUST: 1) Play the players present if there is a combination of 23 or less without playing a player twice. (i.e., if a team has 6 players present and 5 of them can be played without violating the 23-Rule, those 5 players MUST be played). A team cannot sit a player in order to play a player twice unless special circumstances prevail. Players may not intentionally be sent home in order to play a player twice. 2) Notify the opposing team prior to the beginning of the third match of your intent to play a player twice. This will allow your opponent a reasonable amount of time in which to plan their playing strategy. If you wait until the last match, then your opponent has the option of taking a forfeit. Keep all of your available team members, with the exception of ineligible players, present until the opponent has selected who will play twice. Failure to do so will result in an automatic forfeit of the individual match. On the first night of a session many teams do not know until late in the match that a player or players they expected are not joining after all. In these cases, the League Office asks that opponents show leniency and flexibility. 3) Notify the opposing team if an available eligible team member has to leave early, and give them the option to either play the 5 th match prior to that member leaving or choose another player from those remaining. 4) May only play a player twice whose skill level is equal to or less than the absent member 2

3 The Opponent: 1) Will select which of your eligible team members will play twice. 2) Will have the option to take a forfeit if not notified of the intent to play a player twice prior to the beginning of the third match. (exception : the 1 st night of a new session) 3) Will forfeit any right to file complaints if they choose an ineligible player to play twice. 4) Will forfeit any right to file complaints once they have chosen a player to play twice. 5) Once having selected a player to play twice, a team may not change their mind and take the forfeit instead or select a player that has already left in order to receive the forfeit. 6) Has the option, if a missing eligible player arrives after players have been selected for the 4 th match, to allow that player to play the 5 th match or select a player to play twice. 7) Has the option, if the missing player(s) arrive after the match in which a player is playing twice has begun, to either play any remaining matches or take the forfeit(s). In General: 1) This is for the purpose of helping teams in the first 4 weeks of a session, fill out their rosters. After the first 4 weeks, matches will be forfeited or if pre-arranged, made up. 2) No players will be allowed to play twice in any Tri-Cups or HLT s. 3) If both teams are in the position of choosing to play a player twice in the 5th match, then that match will be treated as a normal match and each team will choose their own players. Makeup Matches: With 24 hour or more notice and approval from the League Office, a team may request a makeup match. Makeup matches must take place within 2 weeks of the originally scheduled match. No makeup matches can be arranged for or during the last 2 weeks of regular session play. Upon receiving a request for a make-up, the opposing Team Captain will have 24 hours in which to provide 2 dates/times, convenient for his/her team, to do the makeup to the requesting Team Captain. The Captain of the team requesting a makeup will then have 24 hours in which to select from the dates/times provided. Both teams should make every effort possible to stay within these 24 hour time frames. It should take no longer than 48 hours to schedule a makeup match. Team Captains are responsible for organizing make-up matches and each should be considerate of the other when making the arrangements. The League Office is to be notified immediately of the agreed upon date/time the makeup match will be held. Unrealistic short notices will not be approved by the League Office unless both teams are in agreement. Without 24 hour notice, the opponent has the option of refusing to grant any makeup matches. No Shows/Forfeits: If an entire team fails to show for a scheduled match and no attempt was made to request a make-up prior, then all members of the non-showing team may be held responsible, in part or in full, for the weekly fees of both teams ($80.00). If no match takes place, the showing team will be awarded 8 match points plus the bonus point (8-Ball) or 50 match points plus the bonus points (9-Ball). No points will be awarded to the non-showing team. The debt incurred by the non-showing team must be paid before the team will be allowed to participate in any wild card draws, Tri-Cups, Captain/Co-Captain, Doubles, or any HLT s. Any team forfeiting more than 5 individual matches in a session will lose eligibility to participate in that session s wild card draw and/or Tri-Cup event. There is no minimum as to how many players must be present for a match to start. If only 1 player shows for a scheduled match then they may still play their match. Each team will then be responsible for paying their weekly league fees. If that player refuses to play, then the points for that match will be awarded to the opponent in addition to the forfeit points for any un-played matches (maximum 8 in 8-Ball / maximum 50 in 9-Ball). Forfeited matches are scored as 2-0 in 8-Ball and 12-0 in 9-Ball. NOTE: In 8-Ball - Any team deliberately forfeiting a match to prevent their opponent from possibly receiving a 3-0 win, will have 3 penalty points assessed to their team and the opponent will be awarded a 3-0 win for the individual match. 3

4 Final Week Of A Session: A team must have a minimum of three players present the final night of the session to remain eligible to participate in the wild card draw. Byes: Scheduled Byes in 8-Ball will be worth 8 points plus a bonus point (total 9). In 9-Ball, scheduled Byes will be worth 50 points plus 10 bonus points (total 60). No weekly fees will be due. Byes do not count as teams when determining division Tri-Cup participants. 23-Rule Violations: If a 23-rule violation occurs, the team in violation will forfeit any points won in the individual match that caused the violation as well as any subsequent individual matches. (i.e., Team A has skill levels 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3. They play them in this order: 5, 4, 6, 6, 3; Matches 4 and 5 would be forfeited. If they played 5, 4, 6, 3, 6, then only match 5 would be forfeited.) Forfeited matches are scored as 2-0 in 8-ball and 12-0 in 9-ball. Additional Tie Breaking Procedures: All ties will be broken as outlined in the APA Official Team Manual, unless there is a tie between two or more teams that have not played against each other during the regular session. In that case this additional step will be incorporated. Team points will be totaled for the LAST three weeks of the session. The team with the most points (including Bonus Points) will be declared the tie- breaking winner. If the point total of the last three weeks still produces a tie, then the last four weeks will be totaled, etc., until a winner is determined. Final Standing Awards: At the end of regular session play the team with the highest points will be awarded a Host Location Plaque and individual plaques (for those players who played no less than 4 matches with the team during the session) naming them High Point Finishers for their division. For divisions of 16 teams, the team finishing with the 2 nd highest points will receive the same naming them 2 nd Place High Point Finishers. Wild Card: There will be one wild card team drawn from each division. Any team that did not finish in the required points position for their division size, is current in all league fees, did not forfeit more than 5 individual matches during the session, and had no less than 3 players present on the final night of regular session play is eligible to draw for the wild card position. Post Session Tournaments: After each session the following tournaments will be held: Tri-Cup: On your division s normal night of play, the week following the last night of regular session play, those teams finishing in the seeded positions listed below for your division size, and registered to compete in the following session, will participate in the first round of the session s Tri- Cup event. Byes do not count as teams in determining a division s size. In divisions of 6 15 teams, the team finishing with the highest points (1 st seed) will have a Bye in the first round of the Tri-Cup event and advance to play in the 2 nd round. The same applies to both the 1 st and 2 nd seed teams in divisions of 16 teams. The first round matches of the Tri-Cup event will be as follows: 4 5 team divisions: 1 st seed vs. Wild Card 6 7 team divisions: 2 nd seed vs. Wild Card 8-11 team divisions: 2 nd seed vs. Wild Card 3 rd seed vs. 4 th seed team divisions: 2 nd seed vs. Wild Card 3 rd seed vs. 6 th seed 4 th seed vs. 5 th seed 16 team divisions: 3 rd seed vs. Wild Card 4 th seed vs. 7 th seed 5 th seed vs. 6 th seed These first round Tri-Cup matches will be played at the Host location of the highest seeded team in the match. Note: All players participating in Tri-Cup must have a minimum of 4 matches within the regular session with their team. All participating teams must remain active with 4 original players in the following session. 4

5 Only those teams that win the 1 st round Tri-Cup matches will advance to compete in the 2 nd Round Tri-Cup event. The location and date of the remaining Tri-Cup rounds will be announced as soon as possible upon completion of all 1 st round matches. Tri-Cup - 2 nd Rounds (both 8 & 9 Ball formats) - Division Champions and 1 st round Tri-Cup winners will participate. Cash payouts will be determined at the end of each session by the total number of teams participating in the event and the funds collected during the session. Only those teams that finish in the positions listed below for each session will obtain qualification for the World Qualifier. All participants must have minimum of 7 lifetime matches played. Teams must participate in the event to receive any cash payout. Summer Session Tri-Cup: Top 16 Fall Session Tri-Cup: Top 8 Spring Session Tri-Cup: Top 8 Best of the Best - Any player that plays a minimum of 7 matches within the regular session and meets the match requirements of 10 lifetime matches within the last 2 years, will be eligible for the Best of the Best calculation. Skill levels will be divided into 3 groups. Group 1 1, 2 s & 3 s; Group 2-4 s & 5 s; Group 3 6 s - 9 s. The top 2 players from each skill level group in each division who meet the match requirements will earn the opportunity to compete. Using regular session data (playoffs not included), the qualifying players will be determined by the using the following equation to determine their PA (Points Available) percentage: Number of points earned / number of points available Example 8-Ball: In every 8-Ball match, a player has 3 point available to win. If a player played 10 matches, they had 30 points available to win. If they won a total of 13 points in those 10 matches then the calculation is: 13 / 30 = 0.43 or 43% meaning that player won 43% of the points available PA to them during the session Example 9-Ball: In every 9-Ball match, a player has 20 points available to win. If a player played 10 matches, they had 200 points available to win. If they won a total of 162 points in those 10 matches then the calculation is: 162 / 200 = 0.81 or 81% Meaning that player won 81% of the points available PA to them during the session. Ties will be broken in the following order using regular session play data, Tri-Cup matches not included: Total number of matches played, win percentage, performance points,life-time win percentage. Cash Bonus: There will be 4 cash bonus awards available each session: One each for the most 8- Ball Rackless Nights, 8 On The Breaks, 9 On The Snap, 8-Ball Break & Runs, and 9-Ball Break & Runs. The prize fund for each of these awards will begin at $100. If there is a tie between 2 or more players at the end of a session, the prize fund will roll over to the next session and another $100 will be added. It is the responsibility of each individual to make sure their score sheets are accurately marked to reflect any of these accomplishments. The League Office will not research past scoresheets in search of unmarked accomplishments. Maintaining Post Session Tournament Eligibility: Teams that qualify for the Tri-Cup tournaments must remain active with at least 4 original players and current in all league fees. Individuals that qualify for the Best of the Best events must also remain active in the format in which they qualified. All individual and/or team debts must be paid in full prior to any post session event. 5

6 Maintaining World Qualifier Eligibility: Teams that do not finish in the top half of their division in the session(s) following qualification are subject to heavy scrutiny of their handicaps and/or loss of eligibility. Any team finishing as Division Champs in 2 or more sessions during a league year (Summer, Fall, or Spring) will automatically advance to the World Qualifier. Travel Assistance Fund: Throughout the League year, monies will be collected from participating teams to assist in covering the airfare and hotel costs for teams advancing to the World Pool Championships. This fund has no cash value. Winning teams cannot opt to receive cash instead of the trip to the World Pool Championships. Sportsmanship: Good sportsmanship will ensure that everyone in the league enjoys themselves. Any team or individual receiving 3 written warnings for sportsmanship violations will automatically be suspended indefinitely from the league. All players need to review the Sportsmanship flyer in the team package to gain a better understanding of the sportsmanship guidelines. The actions of any individual who is with a team, (i.e., a team member, their spouse, friend or associate) could affect an entire team. This league is designed for all to have fun, friendly competition. Teams should police themselves to maintain this atmosphere. The League Office reserves the right to determine if a team or individual s actions constitute a sportsmanship violation and the degree of penalty incurred if any. Any players and/or teams that have been suspended for sportsmanship violations will lose their eligibility to participate in any weekly play, post session tournaments, HLT s or APA sponsored events. Refusal to Do Business With: At any time, at the sole discretion of the League Operator, Mid-North Florida APA can refuse to do business with any individual regardless of whether the individual s APA membership is in good standing. Most often, players who are unwelcome in the League will be those who are disruptive to the League, repeatedly complain about handicaps or who otherwise deride the League in public. Good Luck to all! 6